


Dirt Road Were

by Scaramedn



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-05-04 14:43:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14595258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scaramedn/pseuds/Scaramedn
Summary: The sequel to A Wing and A Were. The were-bun and vampire fox face the challenges of life on the farm and try to come to terms with their growing relationship. Meddlesome Hopps', Nick's sister, county politics, and the upcoming harvest festival do nothing to ease the tensions for the pair.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So... Yeah. It's derp season, apparently. First, my thanks to kt_valmiri and Damlone for soundboarding and Beta reading respectively. My gratitude to OnceNeverTwiceAlways for editing. This is the start of a series, not a one-shot. Sorry for the confusion. RL nonsense has created a magnificent "oopsie" moment or two in that I forgot not only my thank-yous, but also the properly edited version. It's fixed now. Uhhuh... Go Wednesday.

Judy was grumpy. Very grumpy. She felt she was being a touch unreasonable, but her grump was simply refusing to shift. Since she had brought Nick home, her responsibilities had lessened slightly. She had a friend who she could talk to simply by walking down the hall and better quarters which were, coincidentally, right next to Nick’s in the guest wing of the house. Judy couldn’t complain about any of those facts. They were nothing but good. She didn’t like to think of herself as an ungrateful rabbit. Her current circumstances were a notable improvement over living in the barracks and working eighteen hours a day. She appreciated the change heartily, and, yet, her displeasure remained.

 

She’d tried chocolate and coffee—even splurged on the new Gazelle album—but nothing had worked for longer than a few moments. She had to admit life was pretty good, as was evidenced by the fact that she was driving home from class instead of taking the bus. The privilege of using one of the farm trucks was usually reserved for family business; transport of injured, elderly or unwell family members; or courting. It was that last one that was turning her knuckles white.

 

Her world had gone sideways since that fox had shown up. As she’d tried explaining it to her mother: There was nothing between them but air. It was the truth—plain, simple, and obvious as her brilliant purple eyes. Her reasoning was sound and perfectly understandable. 

 

It had held up for exactly one minute before her mother had torn it to shreds over pancakes that very morning. 

 

“Mom, I’m serious. We’re just friends and nothing else. I’ll grant you how we met was a little odd, but that’s it.”

 

“You hid him from us.” There was no rancor or admonishment in the statement, but the point had been clear.

 

“I hid him because I didn’t want him dead until I knew why Beast stopped me from killing him.”

 

Her mother had hummed. “And now you’re friends.”

 

“Yes. Friends. Like ‘fiends’, but with an R in it.”

 

“Friends.”

 

“Yes. He’s been good company on my patrols, and I like hearing about the outside world. I’ll never see it, so it’s nice to hear about it from a mammal who has.”

 

She got along with him. A fair point. There was a lot for her to get along with. He was considerate and polite, if rough around the edges and a bit rude at points. There were endless stories he could tell and jokes abounded. He was fun, and he listened. Plenty of friend material there.

 

Bonnie’s expression had been part amused, part nonplussed as she’d asked, “How many friends do you have that Beast likes?”

 

Judy gripped the steering wheel like she wanted to murder it. Memories of all the ways Beast liked Nick were too numerous for her to ignore and, lately, had grown to embarrassing levels beyond tolerating. It was bad enough that he was Beast’s favorite toy, but their neighborly status was causing serious problems. He’d learned far too much about her lately.

 

She liked to lounge around her room in the buff, when she had down time. Nick had discovered this when he was sent to call her down to dinner. The moment she had heard his voice, she’d jumped in surprise and that was all it had taken to break her focus. Beast surged up and took control, ripping open the door and pulling the blood-drinking fox into her room seconds after he’d spoken. That was also when he had learned of Beast’s love of children’s movies. The worst part was that she knew he could smell her embarrassment. Blessedly, he had assumed it was because of the kit’s movie instead of her nudity in his presence.

 

Judy slowed the truck to a stop by the house and killed the engine. Much to the doe’s relief, it was the brief lull in the evening during dinner, where everyone was at table and the yard was empty. Soon, the green at the front of the house would be full of tumbling kits and relaxing elder rabbits, but now it was still. The quiet afforded the beleaguered doe a chance to fortify herself. For a long moment, she concentrated on breathing—long, slow, deep breaths that would calm her. When that failed her utterly, she flopped her head against the steering wheel and started to slowly, but firmly, beat her forehead against it.

 

“Why?”

 

_ Thump _

 

“Why?”

 

_ Thump _

 

“Why?!”

 

_ Thump _

 

Why was her nudity suddenly a problem around him? She’d been without clothes around him for weeks, right from the day they met. It wasn’t until her mother had started her matchmaking campaign that she’d gotten self-conscious. That development only served to provide further ammunition to Mrs. Bonnie Hopps. Judy was so frustrated that she wanted to cry or maybe rip a tree apart with her teeth—she wasn’t sure which. 

 

Her internal grumblings were interrupted by a small tap at the window. One of her nieces, Annabelle, was eagerly trying to get her attention. Judy smiled weakly and opened the door.

 

“Hey, Annie! What’s going on?”

 

“You’re late,” the six-year-old replied tartly.

 

“Classes ran long tonight.”

 

“You missed dinner.” The kit was hopping from foot to foot, impatiently waiting for Judy to get out of the truck. 

 

“I’ll warm something up later.”

 

Annabelle shook her head. “You need to eat now, so Mister Nick can eat. He promised flying tonight!”

 

A trembling breath later, Judy managed a fake smile good enough to satisfy the kit. “I’ll be right in. I just need my bag.”

 

“Hurry! Bedtime is soon!”

 

Judy watched the kit until she was out of sight, slumping back against the seat as soon as she was gone. The kits loved him. She couldn’t deny that it was heartwarming to see him play with the little ones. They swarmed him whenever he was around them, which was usually when he was barely conscious in the evenings or early mornings. The doe also couldn’t deny that it was a welcome amusement to see a groggy fox deal with the Hopps Fluffle’s enthusiasm. They were a handful and a half and that was on quiet days.

 

Despite that, he was always gentle with them and worked very hard to make them happy. His self-named “Wilde Airline Rides” were the fluffle’s single most sought-after entertainment. In the  month since the fox had arrived, their popularity hadn’t diminished a bit. Her mother had been quick to point that out at breakfast, and Judy had agreed without complaint, even smiling along with it. Then, the heavy blows had started falling—all the talk about her “friend” was just a warm-up.

 

“He’d make a good father.”

 

Judy had planted her face in her paws. “Oh gods, Mom, really?”

 

“Really what, bun-bun?, Bonnie had sighed, patiently.

 

“Are you still trying to set me up with him?”

 

Bonnie’s laughter had confused her, then what followed had horrified her. “Good lord, no! I don’t have to do that!” 

 

“You don’t?”

 

“No!” Bonnie had chuckled and leaned against the sink. “I’m trying to get you to catch on, is all.”

 

Mortified, Judy had hissed, “I am not infatuated with him!”

 

“But you are attracted. And before you start arguing, I have proof.”

 

“Sure you do.” Her mother’s casual attitude had infuriated her. 

 

While Judy was embarrassed and a little confused, Bonnie had calmly loadeddishes into the sink to soak. This was obviously not even a challenge for her, and Judy had hated to see it. 

 

“Your scent changes when he bites you?”

 

Judy hadn’t been able to deny that. The only time she’d allowed it to happen not in her were-form, she had discovered she very much enjoyed it when he fed. 

 

“So, I have a kink,” she’d disparaged. “That’s hardly proof of an attachment, let alone romantic interest, as you keep implying.”

 

In response, Bonnie had turned to face her with a smile that dripped smug assurance. “Kaitlyn and Maeve have taken an interest in him.”

 

“The whole clan has taken an interest in him. So, what?”

 

“I heard them discussing him on the porch. In very explicit terms.”

 

Judy had felt something hot and mean stir in the back of her mind. “I’m hardly surprised. He’s male, and they’re the biggest flirts in the family.”

 

“There’s a difference between girl talk and battle plans, Judith. They weren’t admiring the scenery. They were sharing notes.” The Hopps matriarch had grinned. “Those girls are fox hunting.”

 

Judy had stood and stormed out of the room. 

 

As she’d turned down the hallway, she had heard her mother call after her, “It’s called jealousy, Judith!”

 

Jealousy.

 

Judy grumbled to herself as she slammed the truck door and hefted her rucksack onto her shoulder, heading for the house. She tried to let the breeze carry her stresses away. She was downwind from the house, so no one would scent out her emotional discombobulation and misinterpret it. The last thing she needed was anyone feeding her mother more ammunition.

 

She wasn’t jealous. She was annoyed. Her mother was reading into the situation to push her own agenda. Yes, she had liked it when he’d bitten her, but that was once and would never happen again. She was making sure of that. No more meals that didn’t come from Beast—but that was a concern for another moment. Now, Judy was faced with going back into the house after storming out of it that morning. Her mother was in there. But Judy had chores to do and homework before her patrol. 

 

There were also a fair few tasks that centered on the fox she had to address, not the least of which were culinary. She needed to feed him as part of their deal, but, outside that, she would welcome all distractions. Once she got through her evening routine and out on patrol, things would be much better for her. She resolved to do so as quickly as she could manage. Gods willing, Nick wouldn’t take his time with eating, and she could get lost in her homework quickly.

 

As her paw reached for the door, voices brought her up short. 

 

“You’re very loyal, Mister Wilde.”

 

Judy recognized Kaitlyn’s voice instantly and froze.

 

“I wouldn’t say loyal, exactly.”

 

“You’re waiting for her.”

 

“I’m starving.” 

 

Judy felt her anger skyrocket. She was not a snack! This was too much. Her mother’s assumptions were one thing, but this was demeaning. If that was all she was to that red-furred moron, he could find elsewhere to eat. Or so she thought, until he continued. 

 

“And she’s never this late. I thought with her using that ancient truck, she’d be back a little earlier, not massively later. Maybe, I should go look for her.”

 

The worry in his voice went a long way to blunting her ire. Alright, fine. He was hungry.  _ Concerned _ and hungry. That was at least more understandable. However, her sister’s follow up brought Judy straight back to fuming and then some.

 

“You know, you could always ask for someone else to stand in when she’s out.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Look, we all know Judy feeds you. You had an arrangement while you were in the woods. But you aren’t anymore.”

 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

 

“Why? Because all the were-buns will destroy you?”

 

“For a start.”

 

Kaitlyn’s musical laughter tinkled through the open windows and made Judy’s blood boil.

 

“Nicky, all the weres have given you their tentative blessing. No one knows why, but their Beasts don’t want to hurt you. You’ve been respectful and courteous to Judy—hell, you have better table manners than most of my brothers!”

 

“That’s a strange endorsement…”

 

Kaitlyn pounced on the end of his sentence. “And my father, some days. I’m just saying you have other options. I’m sure I’m not the only one willing to offer you a sip or two.”

 

“I appreciate the offer, but—”

 

“I get it,” Kaitlyn interrupted. “You feel more comfortable with Jude the Prude. I’m not trying to mess that up. Just… If you’re interested in a little variety, let me know. Who knows? There may be a new flavor of bunny you enjoy. Maybe as a little dessert?”

 

The thoughts boiled through her mind in a matter of rabbit-quick heartbeats.

 

Beast liked him. Her littermates and older siblings were at least not-untrusting of him. Her fellow were-buns were astonished to admit that their beasts didn’t want him dead. Bonnie herself admitted to enjoying the fox’s company, and her father had agreed to letting him stay in the house. To his credit, the fox had been honest about his less than salubrious past and had managed a degree of tasteful humor in the face of being torn to shreds that first night. That went a long way towards ingratiating him with her family, and his fluffle wrangling was a huge help. Even her father was on pleasantly cordial terms with him. Now, she had a sister making a play. Her hated nickname didn’t help.

 

It was no surprise that some of her sisters were getting curious about the vampire. He had possessed a strangeness at first, but that was just because he was new. Over the last month, that had worn off. It had been encouraging to see...until now. 

 

That was no simple flirt. Judy had seen the machinations of her sisters and younger aunts for far too long to miss it. That little exchange was the opening move of a buck hunt on her fox.

 

The words “her fox” flitted through her mind and left her stunned. 

 

She regained her senses just in time to hear Nick mumble, “I should see if Bonnie’s heard from her yet. Excuse me,” followed by his quick, yet heavy paw-falls fading away. Judy breathed a sigh of relief. Her shoulders locked as her sister’s flat voice carried to her ears. 

 

“You coming in, Judy? It’s safe. Your fox is gone.”

 

She pushed open the door and eyed her slightly younger sibling. 

 

“Problem?” 

 

“I know what you’re doing, Kait,” Judy stated as she dropped her bag and leaned against the bench by the door.

 

“I’d be flabbergasted if you didn’t.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Really, Jude? Why?” Kaitlyn asked, half laughing. “Are you serious?”

 

“Yes, I’m serious. Why are you going after him?”

 

“Mostly because of you, Judy.” 

 

The younger Hopps doe must have realized how it had sounded to put it that way from the groaning of the bench’s arm under her sister’s grip. It was never wise to challenge a lycanthrope, even obliquely, and that certainly sounded like a challenge in retrospect. Kaitlyn Hopps was very quick to set the record straight.

 

“No! Not like that, Judy. Seriously. I’m not trying to steal him.”

 

“Oh, for gods’ sake…. I’m not dating him!” 

 

“And that’s the problem.” 

 

Judy raked her paws over her ears. “Can you please be clear? I’m too tired for this.”

 

“Ok. I’ll make it simple for you. You’ve been showing him off for a month and haven’t put a claim on him. How did you expect us to react?”

 

“Claim? What? I—”

 

“You can save the excuses. I don’t know what you’re doing or why, but you have been asking for trouble. If you like that male, you better stop being stupid about it.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Judy, he’s cute.”

 

Hearing that word made Judy’s ears drop like stones. An annoying four-letter word that rabbits found pejorative and demeaning from other species, “cute” meant something very different between rabbits. When a buck described a doe with that word, it meant distracting and alluring with all kinds of connotations ranging from long-term interest to sexual prowess. Directed at a buck, it meant strong and confident, appealing and companionable with a massive dash of desire. All in all, it meant attractive, desirable, and—of notable interest—it also meant mate and father material. To hear it from her sister in a dead serious tone made her nose twitch. 

 

“He’s great with the fluffle, charming, polite, and kinda funny.”

 

“He’s not!” Judy huffed.

 

Her sister crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Says the one who giggles most when he tells those terrible dad-jokes. I swear, Daddy is taking notes.”

 

“I do not!” Judy exclaimed, nearly panicking.

 

Kaitlyn sighed. “Whatever you’re telling yourself is your business. The rest of us see how interested you are, but you haven’t claimed him. Nothing makes a male more desirable than seeing the interest of other females. You’ve brought him here and shown off how much he has to offer. I want a shot at him. I know Maeve does, and there are at least a paw-full of others that do too. You need to get your head straight, and quick if you want to keep him to yourself. You have right of first claim, but if you don’t take it soon, I’ll be first in line to take that fox for a test drive.” 

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Nick was a bit unsettled as he hustled through the Hopps Warren. He was quite happy to see that his host family was getting used to him. The kits were almost fearless with him now. The older Hopps siblings were very welcoming and Judy’s parents were treating him warmly. If he was honest, the Hopps matriarch was bordering on affectionate, these days. Even the eldest of the Hopps’, one Pop-Pop Hopps, had stopped making references to damnation when he entered a room. Nick was pleased by all these things, or had been until Miss Kaitlyn Hopps had shown such… overt consideration as to offer him a meal in Judy’s absence.

 

Nick shivered as he made his way towards the kitchen.

 

The intent of the tan-furred rabbit he’d left at the door had been all too clear. Not that she’d been painfully overt, but the pheromone cloud she’d been exuding was all the indication he’d needed to know where she was coming from. Nick had no idea why he had a new rabbit interested in him. She was the fifth in the last few days to offer him a “nibble” as some of them had called it. At least this most recent incident was closer to light flirting than the near-vamping he’d received earlier in the day.

 

Maeve was a black and tan brindle with a fur pattern that was close to the grain of a dark mahogany. She was very striking from that perspective, alone. Add in her smoky soprano and generous side of hips and she was a recipe for seduction. Gods only knew how many bucks had their eyes on her. And yet, she had cornered him about an hour after Judy had left for classes—awkwardly, in the laundry.

 

He’d been on one knee, moving a load of clothes from a washer to a dryer when he sensed a predatory gaze on him.

 

As he started to straighten up he heard a wolf whistle, causing him to jump. His head snapped towards the sound only to find Maeve sitting on top of the machine next to him, her legs dangling over the side. Her smile looked hungry and her ears were flushed. Nick’s suspicions were confirmed a moment later.

 

“I must say I like the view…”

 

“So I gather from the whistle.”

 

“That was just for you bent over like that.”

 

“Thanks?” Nick mumbled awkwardly as he stuffed the last of the clothes into the machine. “And now?”

 

“Your face fits perfectly between my thighs.” Nick blinked, realized how he was positioned from her point of view, and shot to his feet. “You really didn’t have to stand up.”

 

“I would disagree.”

 

“You won’t for long.”

 

“Is there something you wanted?”

 

“One thing in particular, but I have to be patient to get it.”

 

“How unfortunate.”

 

“I hate waiting.”

 

“C’est la vie.”

 

Maeve pursed her lips and seemed to come to a decision. Hopping down from her seat she walked around the fox at a leisurely pace.

 

“Ever been to a faire, Mister Wilde?”

 

“When I was a kit.”

 

“Did you enjoy the rides then?”

 

“I suppose, but what does that have to do with anything?”

 

“Most of the bucks around here are like bumper cars at the county faire—good for a solid bang or two, but boring after a minute. Assuming they last that long.”

 

“I’m not particularly interested in how the local male rabbits are in bed, Miss Hopps.”

 

“It’s Maeve, foxy, and that isn’t my point. Judy isn’t the only Hopps girl who gets a thrill from biting. Take it from me.”

 

“I’ll be sure to.”

 

“Promise?”

 

Nick would normally be impressed at the rabbit’s capacity to turn everything into an innuendo, but he had only been awake for an hour and hadn’t eaten. He didn’t have the mental power to deal with it.

 

“Could you please stop meandering?”

 

“So polite, even when frustrated. No wonder Mother approves.”

 

“Bumper cars…?”

 

“Alright. The bucks in this town are bumper cars, but I am willing to bet you ride like a Furrari!” Nick found himself pressed back against the machine he just loaded just by the doe’s presence alone. “I’m bored, Nicky. Bored and sick of wasting my time on ten-stroke bucks.”

 

Caught off guard, all Nick could manage was, “You could get yourself a six-pack?”

 

Maeve guffawed, but didn’t move. Instead, she ran a paw up his chest and purred, “I could, but I’m not that kind of doe. Besides, I think you’d be more satisfying than a baker’s dozen.”

 

“That’s, uh… quite a claim.”

 

“I saw you in your towel after your shower yesterday. You weren’t as careful as you should have been at keeping it closed.”

 

“Um…”

 

“Did I finally find the end of your quips? Or do you need me to work your starter handle a bit to help you along?”

 

“I’m not as sharp when I’m hungry.”

 

“That _is_ good to know…”

 

“Pretty obvious if you talk to me first thing in the evening.”

 

“Maybe so.” Maeve rubbed her paws over the fox’s belly and chest one more time before stepping back. Nick was relieved at getting a little breathing space, but was prepared in case of a renewed assault. “I’ll be clear, Nick—”

 

“Please do?”

 

Maeve giggled and chewed her lower lip. “I would have thought I was very clear so far.”

 

“In part. Why are you doing this?”

 

“Unclaimed is fair game. That’s the saying. Judy’s being completely stupid about you, so I’m testing the waters. If I like what I see, I can make a claim.”

 

“This may be a stupid question, but why aren’t you? If you’re willing to go this far, why not just finish it?”

 

“Because Judy is a lycanthrope. None of us are crazy enough to try a claim until she’s out of the running. The last thing we need is her in a dominance frenzy.”

 

“I can only assume you’ve answered me, because I understood none of that.”

 

“Never you mind, then, foxy. All you need to now is that time is running out for Prudy Judy to do what we all know she wants to, but is too much of a chicken to actually do. If she grows a spine, that’s that. If she doesn’t, though… well… I promise you I’m more experienced at pleasing a male and I do like a …challenge….”

 

With one last smoldering look and a wink, the brindled doe slipped out of the laundry, leaving Nick to his thoughts and new-minted headache.

 

They didn’t understand.

 

They couldn’t, of course. They didn’t understand what it meant to feed from a living mammal. The intimacy of it, or how painful it was likely to be for them. Nick didn’t know why Judy didn’t seem bothered by it, but he had a sneaking suspicion it was because she was a lycanthrope. Interestingly, it wasn’t the Were-buns that were expressing interest in him directly, but he’d seen at least two that were straight up ogling him. If there were two that were being open about it, gods only knew how many were being timid.

 

Timidity in a lycanthropic rabbit was such an absurd idea to the vampiric vulpine that he found himself chuckling as he turned a corner towards the kitchen area. He had to revise his opinion almost immediately upon almost running one over.

 

Somehow, a light colored ball of fluff materialized coming the other direction around the corner at nearly the same speed he was moving. Both mammals slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stand-still, barely avoiding the impact. The rabbit he almost flattened was a mottled white and tawny doe named Chloe and one of the Were-buns. Nick watched as she slowly backed away and flattened herself against the wall to let him pass. Her ears were pink and she very openly scented the air as he sidestepped around her. She apparently had ideas about being pressed against a wall, considering how she was arched her back against the molding and rolled her hips. She paused just long enough to meet his eyes and grin impishly before fleeing down the hall.

 

_Timid were-buns… I just had to wonder, didn’t I?_

 

Nick was suddenly even more eager to see Judy. One of the fringe benefits to her presence was the other rabbits kept a little more distance. One of the deficits was she fed him—a double edged sword, these days.

 

Hunger and desire were linked for vampires—a point of significant education for young vampires and one of the major reasons they used blood packs so often. It was so much easier to control that particular desire when it wasn’t a mammal. It was something he’d let slip in passing to Judy only once and been hideously embarrassed in retrospect. That first night he hadn’t thought much of it. When Nick had met the grey were-rabbit he’d never considered, even for a moment, that she’d end up being his closest friend. He was pretty happy she hadn’t remembered it, considering how often he’d fed from her.

 

If she had, she’d realize how intimate feeding was for him and where it could possibly lead. That concern was why he possessed the “table manners” he was so regularly praised for. They were good courtesy, yes, but they were also a pattern through which to exercise discipline, so he wouldn’t get carried away. With a regular mortal that wasn’t a huge risk. However, his first meal from Judy had been an exceedingly erotic experience—one that had overwhelmed him and left him the closest to well and truly drunk in his life.

 

As soon as he reached the dining hall he scanned for the one rabbit other than Judy he felt safe around, the matriarch of the family. He could feel eyes boring through his trousers at every step, as he searched. Not seeing her in the main room, Nick hurried along. If she wasn’t overseeing the meal itself she’d be directing the post-meal clean up, so he skirted the crowd and made for the relative safety of the kitchens and Bonnie Hopps’ presence. No one misbehaved in front of the lady of the house.

 

The matronly brown were-rabbit was shooing kits away from the counters when he arrived.

 

“Mrs. Hopps, have you heard from Judy?”  
  
“I keep telling you to call me Bonnie.”   
  
“That’s a challenge for me, ma’am.”   
  
“Still worried we’ll tear you to shreds?”  
  
“Absolutely, one hundred percent!”  
  
Bonnie chuckled. “No one in this house will cause you harm. You have my word. To answer your question, no, I haven’t heard from Judy, but on rare occasions she runs late if her classes demand it. She should be home soon.”  
  
“Hrmmm...”  
  
“Your concern is touching, Nicolas.”  
  
“I don’t mean to fret.”  
  
“It’s alright. I’m sure she appreciates it.”  
  
“She’s a Were-rabbit. I know she can take care of herself.”  
  
Bonnie laughed openly. “She is, but don’t sell yourself short. There’s something comforting about having someone waiting for you at home.”  
  
Before Nick could react to Bonnie’s inference, Judy’s voice cut through the air.   
  
“Gah!” The grey rabbit with black tipped ears did not look pleased.

 

Bonnie raised a concerned eyebrow. “Did classes run late?”

 

“Yes.” Came Judy’s terse reply. “Is there any dinner left?”

 

“In the usual spot. Did you want it warmed up?”

 

Rather than answer, Judy went to one of the large refrigerators and yanked it open. She collected her plate and a fork, removed the cling film, and proceeded to devour her meal with a fervor that both Bonnie and Nick found a little distressing. As soon as the plate was clear it was deposited in a sink to soak and Nick found himself dragged off by his shirt front. As soon as the rabbit and fox were out of sight, Bonnie sighed. It was rather clear that her daughter had been pushed a bit too far.

 

Nick stumbled along behind the fuming rabbit, trying to get his feet under him.

 

“Carrots! What on earth is going on?!”

 

All he got in return was unintelligible muttering.

 

“Carrots?”

 

More muttering.

 

“Hopps!”

 

Still nothing.

 

In the atrium, Nick planted his feet and leaned back hard, stopping them both in their tracks. Judy swung around from the sudden change in momentum and Nick caught her as she overbalanced. He held her shoulders and tried to understand why she looked so upset.

 

“Judy, what’s wrong?”

 

She shook his paws off her. “Nothing!”

 

“I’ll take bald-faced lies for one hundred.”

 

A ghost of a smile flickered across her face and she squashed it. Pinching the bridge of her muzzle, she turned away grumbling. “Long day. Sorry.”

 

“Judy—”

 

Nick’s thoughts were derailed as Judy shoved her bare arm at him. “You need to eat and I need to get to my patrol.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes! Just… Be quick. I have a lot to do.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Nick wasted no time and quickly nipped her forearm, drawing a tiny trickle of blood. The throaty gasp it drew from her stopped him cold. Things happened very quickly after that. All Nick had time to do was register the mortified expression on her face before she grabbed his tongue, raked it across the little wounds on her arm, and fled the house. Nick was left flat on his butt in the middle of the atrium watching his friend grow smaller on the other side of the front door.

 

Reflexively, Nick swallowed and realized he had small drops of blood all along his muzzle. He hastily began to clean his chops with his tongue only to be stopped by another collection of gasps. Several of Judy’s siblings had been witness to her little outburst and now were staring as he cleaned himself up. 

 

“Sorry. I’m usually much neater,” Nick mumbled, embarrassedly.

 

“We know,” one of the teenaged bucks commented vacantly.

 

The awkward silence stretched and Nick quickly found himself stammering, “I should go see what’s wrong with Judy. If you’ll excuse me?”

 

The little group nodded and he trotted out the door, but not before he heard them whisper “His tongue is as long as my ears!”, “It’s forked, too.”, and “Lucky doe.” The moment he was away from the house, Nick’s wings were out and he put on the speed.

 

Bonnie watched the fox soar off after her daughter. It was a good sign and encouraging, but not without concern for her. Her daughter was the oldest and strongest of the current generation of lycanthropes, but she was painfully naïve about many things. Unfortunately, the only way to fix most of that was to experience it. Some of those experiences would be painful. There was nothing she could do about that except to leave it to the two young mammals to sort it out. That part was out of her paws. What she _could_ do was tell the rest of her daughters to tone it down and placate the fluffle until their flying fox ride returned. Allowing the kits an extra hour to play wouldn’t upset things overmuch and if it helped Judy and Nick get closer, it was worth it. Smiling, the elder were-bun set about her tasks.

 

~

 

Nick didn’t have to fly long in order to locate his quarry. Which was just as well. He’d only had a few drops and didn’t have a lot of power to spare. A quarter mile away from the house at the flowerbeds by the tree line, Nick found her. She was sitting on a fallen tree with her head in her paws. Nick felt awful. Yes, he was still hungry and he wanted to make sure she was alright, but before anything else, he needed to say something.

 

Keeping his distance, he landed and very respectfully approached.

 

“Judy, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I should have reminded you to change and let Beast feed me.”

 

“Its not your fault, dumb fox. It was mine. I didn’t think.”

 

“What’s going on? I’ve only known you for a couple months, but I thought you were pretty even-tempered. What got you so angry?”

 

“A lot of things. Lots of little things that added up and then I was stupid and embarrassed myself.”

 

“I don’t really understand…”

 

“That’s fine.”

 

“Judy…”

 

“We’ll talk about it later. Right now, I have a patrol to finish and a lot of homework to finish afterwards.”

 

“Do you want company?”

 

“I… do, but no. You have kits to fly around and I need to get this over with.” Judy chuckled wryly. “Since a certain fox no longer lives in the Hollow, I don’t have a ton to check in on and I can get my patrols done in good time, these days.”

 

“You’re glad to be rid of me, then?”

 

“Absolutely! Much easier to keep an eye on you when you’re in the room next door.”

 

Their quiet laughter was punctuated by an accompanying growl from the fox’s stomach.

 

“Sorry about that. You didn’t give me a chance to actually drink anything before you… hared off.”

 

“Oh, gods… Really?” Judy flopped back onto her log. “Now, I’m embarrassed for running off _and_ the bad pun.”

 

Nick shrugged and smiled. Judy laughed weakly.

 

“So…”, he ventured. “Did you want to have beast feed me, or try round two, yourself?”

 

“I- um…” Judy blinked a few times before she answered with a blank expression. “I guess it’s me.”

 

“You guess?”

 

Suddenly, she was all bashful fiddling. “Beast, uh… Wants me to feed you tonight. Won’t say why.”

 

“Odd.”

 

“Said the punny vampire fox to the embarrassed were-bun.”

 

“Fair enough.”

 

Round two, as it had been termed, started awkwardly and quickly went downhill. Nick felt horrible.

 

The awkwardness was thick enough to cut with a knife, for a start. Then, the bite happened. Nick wanted to make it quick, but Judy was fidgety. Each time he brought his fangs close to skin, Judy would tense up. By the fourth attempt her breathing was heavy. He wanted to assume it was nerves, but he’d been feeding from her for a while. She shouldn’t have been so put off.

 

Rather than second guess her and risk a were-powered punch to the shoulder, Nick decided to just go for it. He sank his teeth in with a short, sharp clenching of his jaws and held a firm pressure on the limb in case she tried to pull away. He doubted she would, but the attempt would cause more injury if she did. Just in case, he paid extra attention to her scent and heartrate to make sure she wasn’t about to panic. He needn’t have worried.

 

Her reactions weren’t a danger to her, but they were unusually intense.

 

The moment he bit, she stiffened. Her breathing became deep and shuddering, but remained quick. Her other paw came up to clamp over her muzzle, muffling a grunt of what he assumed was pain. Her heartrate was very fast. When she closed her eyes and turned her face away, while flopping her ears behind her, Nick knew he had to hustle up and release her. She was showing all the signs of a negative reaction to being bitten, but forcing herself to continue with the feeding. It was the smart move to minimize further injury, but it was more than Nick was willing to put her through.

 

The blood pooled very quickly in his mouth and he swallowed as soon as he took enough to last him through his evening’s flights. He quickly laved the wound and made a pass over the wounds from the earlier, botched, feeding with his tongue. Nick was extremely thorough and careful this time, hoping to repair the damage and ease her mind. All through the wound closing and cleaning Judy was a trooper, in Nick’s opinion. She twitched and shuddered, muffling her vocal reactions, and refusing to move until he was done. He had to be impressed with her willpower.

 

The moment he was done, he squeezed her paw and said, “I’m sorry, Judy. We won’t do that, again. I’ll ask Beast to—”

 

Judy’s voice was very small as she replied. “Stop apologizing for nothing. It’s fine.”

 

“I’d believe you if you could look me in the face and say that. You’re flushed, breathing heavily… You were in pain the whole time. You’re even shaking!”

 

“Nick, I’m ok.”

 

“No. I’ll talk to Beast and—”

 

Nick’s voice was cut short as a pair of little grey paws clamped, vice-like, over his muzzle. He was unceremoniously yanked to his knees, so he was eye level with the rabbit. She pulled his muzzle down so she could look him eye to eye, which put his nose roughly level with her stomach. A more… intimate proximity than he was expecting.

 

“Listen, fox. I said I’m fine and I meant it. Beast isn’t always up to feeing you, so I will. I’m doing it willingly. Stop blabbering.”

 

He had to pry her paws of his snout before he could speak. “I don’t like hurting you.”

 

“That’s sweet, but you close the wounds and the pain passes. My transformations can hurt more than your little nibbles.”

 

“Are you sure? I can ask someone else to stand in.”

 

That was very clearly the wrong thing to say. Judy’s eyes snapped to his and she all but growled, “Who?”

 

“Um… A few of your siblings have offered. Mostly your sisters, if I’m honest”

 

“Wha- mostly?!”

 

Nick nodded nervously. “One of your brothers did, too.”

 

“Hang on. Which one?”

 

“I think his name was Franklin.”

 

“Frankie? Are you serious?” The fox nodded. Judy blinked and murmured, “I didn’t think he had it in him...”  
  
“In his defense, I don’t think he meant it inappropriately.”  
  
“...but some of them have?”  
  
Nick tried to deflect. “They’re your sisters. Could you see them doing that?”  
  
“Yes.”

 

Clearing his throat Nick continued, saying “I think he’s a lycanthrope, so that might be safe,” but Judy was not about to be distracted.

 

“Which of my sisters?”

 

“Well…”

 

“Which ones?!”

 

“Were-bun or normal?”

 

“Both.”

 

“A handful? Some more enthusiastically than others?” Her flat, hard stare encouraged him to continue. “Um... Kaitlyn earlier tonight. Maeve... I’m pretty sure Chloe would agree if I asked. She seems a little shy.”  
  
“Strangest were-bun in the clan...” Judy grumbled.  
  
“I can believe it.”  
  
“Who else?”  
  
Nick sighed. “Really, Carrots?”  
  
“Who?!”  
  
Nick suddenly recalled all the times he’d seen her change in front of him. Her frame was shuddering in the same way and there were little flashes of Beast behind Judy’s eyes. Maeve’s earlier comment about “dominance frenzy” boiled to the surface of his mind and made his survival instincts kick in. He coughed up the names.  
  
“Maeve, Kaitlyn, Joan, Leanna, Angela, and Lynn from the regular bunnies. Franklin from the lycanthropes, so far, but I’d hazard a guess at Chloe and Diana. Maybe Tiffany.”  
  
“Bloody hells...” Judy was pinching the bridge of her muzzle again.  
  
“Carrots?”  


She held up a paw, stopping him. “We’ll talk about this later, but understand this: you are my responsibility.”

 

“Carrots…”

 

“My. Res. Pon. Si. Bi. Li. Ty. I found you, spared you, brought you home, and vouched for you. It’s my task to take care of you.”

 

“Is this a country honor thing?”

 

She huffed a laugh. “Not exactly. My mother taught us to follow through on our commitments. Our situation is a little… odd… so, befriending you put you in my care of for as long as you stay with us.”

 

“So, the others offering to help feed me is… bad?”

 

“It’s a little bit sibling rivalry. Taking away something of significance to prove they’re just as good as I am, just as brave…”

 

“Just as special.”

 

“But also… it’s also a dominance play between Weres. Taking something from me is a challenge to my position. I’m pretty high up in the social hierarchy of the clan, so I’m a popular target for the younger ones trying to prove themselves. That’s probably why Frankie was the only one to be so open about it.”

 

“Why would the others be worse?”

 

“We’ll talk about this later. It’s getting late and I have a headache.”

 

“Are you sure it isn’t allergies?”

 

Judy’s laughter was part disbelief, part amusement. “I’m a country rabbit. I don’t have allergies!”

 

“You never know. We’re right by a flower patch. It could be.” Judy scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. I can smell all the flowers in the patch, but there’s something sweet that’s definitely dominating.” Nick closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Sweetness, musk, spice and something earthy...”

 

He heard her heartrate spike, again, but her response was calm. “All I smell is violets, but I know that’s you.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah. You smell like violets when you feed.”

 

Dread settled into Nick’s gut. “Oh… Good…”

 

“Nick?”

 

“I should get back. It’s getting late and the kits…”

 

“Uhhuh….” Judy muttered, uncertainly. “Have fun. I’ll see you when I get back.”

 

With those parting words, Judy slipped away into the trees and Nick scampered back towards the house. Of course, she’d notice. Lycanthropic senses aside, she was around him every night and fed him daily. Sometimes, multiple times a day! Small wonder she associated that scent with him. Blessedly, she didn’t know what it actually meant. For a breath, he considered getting some musk mask sent out from the city, but that idea was discarded almost instantly. Any change would tip his hand and draw attention to it. She may be a country bunny and a bit undereducated in some ways, but she was tenacious as they come. One hint and she’d keep after it until she knew everything. He was not prepared for her to learn that little secret just yet.

 

Possibly ever, but that was likely impossible.

 

The remainder of Nick’s evening consisted of what had become his usual routine. A couple hours playing with the kits followed by some light housework. He’d started earning his keep by running laundry and doing dishes while the rest of the house was asleep. The only other mammals awake at his normal hours were a few of the were-buns who had longer, or later patrols, the very early risers and the occasional night-owl student.

 

That was why he was so astonished to find himself pinned to the kitchen wall by an arctic fox vixen about two hours past midnight.

 

“Skye? What the hell are you doing here?”

 

“Rescuing my idiot brother, of course. Come on!”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while on this one updated, but the story is not yet done! I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> My thanks go out to the following:
> 
> kt_valmiri for soundboarding.  
> Damlone & BlueberryandHoney for beta reading.  
> OnceNeverTwiceAlways for editing.
> 
> If you're interested in supporting DRW or my other writing, you can buy me a coffee. Check out the link in my profile for more details.
> 
> Now, on with the show!

Nick was in a panic. His sister was there. In the house. A rabbit warren full of were-rabbits. He had no clue how she had gotten in, but he knew it was only a matter of moments before she was found out and they were both reduced to a fine red mist.

He brushed her paws off his muzzle and whispered, “Skye, you have to get out of here.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” she hissed back. “Only it’s ‘we’. Now let’s go!”

“I can’t!”

“Of course, you can! It’s easy!” Her voice dripped saccharine acid. “One paw in front of the other towards and through the door. Then, we can fly away! It’s so easy even you could pull it off!”

“I’m staying here.”

“Listen you little idiot.” Nick found himself pinned to the wall again by the scruff of his neck. “We’re leaving and that’s—“

“Oh shit...” Nick’s muttered profanity shut his sister up, and she turned her head to look at what had upset him. Standing in the doorway was a small, grey, completely naked rabbit with luminous purple eyes.

Nick watched as his lapin friend took in the scene. She looked between the two foxes, blinked, and transformed. He watched horrified as Judy, now in full were-form, launched herself at them with a deafening roar. He didn’t think. He acted.

His paw snapped out and pinched the muscle between his sister’s shoulder and chest. Her arm snapped back by reflex, releasing him. Nick immediately put himself between his sister and the charging were-bun. “Carrots, stop!”

To his immense relief, she did. Sort of. Her paws failed to find purchase on the polished kitchen floor, and she slid right into him. For the third time in two minutes, he found himself stuck against a wall. In this case squished, specifically.

Very calmly and deliberately Nick pleaded, “Judy, please don’t kill my sister.”

Beast sniffed at him before turning to the other fox present, who was frozen in shock. The hulking mass of muscle and fur sniffed at her, shrugged, and grabbed Nick into a crushing hug in the middle of the floor.

Nick struggled against the familiar crushing affection to say, “Yes, Beast. I’m glad to see you, too.”

Skye fainted.

And that was how they were found moments later by the Hopps clan when they came pouring out of the warren into the kitchens. There was one mildly soggy fox being cuddled in the middle of the floor by Judy in were-form, while another fox lay unconscious on the floor.

“Oh, this night is going so well…” Nick groused.

~

Judy was mortified. This was possibly the most embarrassing position she’d ever been in. She had grown accustomed to Beast’s enthusiasm and had to admit that she enjoyed the affection she got from Beast’s fixation on Nick. It was something she’d gone without, and from a younger age than most rabbits, because of her early ascension. As a lycanthrope, a whole slew of dominance issues came as part and parcel, complicating matters. Affection was one of the more…sensitive points in that vein. Nick was somehow completely non-threatening to Beast and, therefore, an excellent source for the affection and attention that Judy craved.

Their arrangement was highly beneficial. It was also embarrassing as all hell—similar to Beast’s love of children’s television programming and movies. As such, she had gone to some lengths to keep her time with Nick as a snuggle toy discreet. Or at least away from her family. Behind closed doors or out in the woods were about as far as she was willing to be open about her cuddle time with the vampire fox.

Beast was less reserved about their relations with the fox and was vocal about it.

More cuddles!

Not now! We need to survive this first!

Cuddles after?

Assuming Nick is still alive? Sure, why not?

A huge tremor of power shot through her. Beast did not like the idea of Nick being hurt, even if Judy was joking about it, but that was a panic attack to have later. Presently, she was in were-form, completely nude, in the middle of the kitchen with practically her whole family in attendance, and cuddling Beast’s “dolly”. If Judy were in charge she’d black out from blood loss to her ears. Or she’d at least wish she had.

Judy’s grumbling was summarily ignored by Beast until the Matriarch and Patriarch of the family showed up. Bonnie looked from her daughter and the red fox to the arctic vixen lying unconscious on the floor, before fixing her eyes on Nick.

Stu beat her to the punch. “Nicolas, as you are the only one who can speak right now, would you mind telling me what in blue blazes is going on here?”

Hearing the force behind their father’s voice, Judy and Beast collectively decided to play nice. They placed Nick on the floor and stood back, hoping that things couldn’t get worse.

“Mister and Missus Hopps, allow me to introduce my sister, Skye.”

“Your sister.” Judy felt the ice behind her mother’s words. “Did you invite her here without warning us?”

“I did not,” Nick calmly replied. He was getting better at handling lycanthropes. “She just showed up.”

“Why?” Bonnie inquired cooly.

“I’m curious about that myself,” Nick commented as he walked to the nearest sink and filled a rabbit-sized glass of water. “All she told me was that we were leaving. Then Judy walked in, and you saw the results of that.”

“Not the results I was expecting, I admit,” Bonnie replied, as she considered her daughter. “After her battle roar, I was sure I’d need to get the disinfectant out.”

“So was I,” Nick concurred.

At this point, Beast apparently wanted Judy involved in the conversation, so she shoved her into the driver’s seat.

One disorientingly rushed transformation later, Judy was able to answer. “Beast stopped as soon as Nick asked her to.”

Her mother blinked owlishly at her. “Asked her?”

Judy wrung her paws. “I was more like ‘Carrots, stop’ followed by ‘Please don’t kill my sister,’ after we ran him over on the tile.”

“And her next reaction was to cuddle him while she was passed out on the floor?” Bonnie continued.

Judy shrugged, wishing she could melt through the floor. “She believed him.”

“Good thing too…. I guess,” Stu grumbled. “If your Beast thought she was his girlfriend, or something, it would have been bad.”

The snarl that tore out of her throat terrified Judy as much as everyone else.

~

Nick blinked in astonishment at the display of feral aggression his friend had just exhibited. It was over in a flash and immediately followed by her attempting to fold in on herself while immolating. Lifting his hand reminded him of the small cup he’d filled with water and in an attempt to remove a shred of the awkwardness from the moment. He did the only thing he could think of. He dumped it in Skye’s face.

Her sputtering did distract the other occupants of the room, but Nick was acutely aware that Bonnie and few of the other were-buns continuing to watch Judy closely. In the interest of breaking the tension, Nick kneeled to help Skye and he immediately regretted it.

His sister’s paws latched onto his shirt front and she dragged him eye to eye with her, snarling, “Brother-dear, what in hell is going on?”

“That is quite enough of that, young lady,” Bonnie snapped. “You are in my home and you will obey the rules here. No foul language in front of the kits.”

Skye released Nick and sneered, “I don’t live here. So I don’t care.”

Bonnie brought a wooden spoon down on the vixen’s snout, hard. Nick cringed in sympathetic pain.

“You may not live at all, vampire.” The Hopps matron then turned her gaze towards Nick and the still-embarrassed rabbit beside him. “I’ll make tea.”

Nick groaned internally. Tea was code for “family meeting”. He’d been around the warren long enough to know those were not the most pleasant of experiences. He made his way to the small kitchen table commonly used for Bonnie’s teas and sat. Judy followed suit, somehow looking even more miserable than she had previously. Stu settled against the doorjamb, keeping his eyes on the two foxes. The rest of the rabbits fled.

Bonnie continued, “If you slip past us, you won’t make it past the lycanthropes at the doors. Take a seat.”

The statement addressed to Skye was casual in tone, but effectively chilled the room a few degrees. Nick watched as the vixen complied, much to his relief. He already had a feeling his night was only going to get worse, and precipitously at that.

He sat quietly as Bonnie poured and served himself, the two females at the table, and then herself. Judy took a sip, looking like she hoped it was poison. Skye ignored her cup. Nick figured he may as well enjoy his last meal, such as it was, so he sipped his tea and waited.

The pleasantries ended there.

~

Bonnie was less than pleased for several reasons, and she was not about to be patient. “You have entered our home uninvited, threatened someone who is under our care, and upset our clan. Why should we not end you now, vampire?”

“I didn’t mean to do any of those things,” Sky retorted, testily.

“So, breaking into our home was an accident?”

“No! I meant I was trying to rescue my brother, not cause any of you harm.”

Bonnie snorted. “Why should we believe that?”

“Because it’s the truth!” Skye scoffed. “I don’t know what else I could offer you as proof.”

“And that’s the problem.” Bonnie sipped her tea, liking this new fox less by the moment. “Nick has earned our trust. You haven’t. Him naming you as his relative was all that’s kept you alive until now. That is as far as his support will get you. So why shouldn’t we kill you for your trespasses?”

Skye looked like she wanted to snarl, but forced it down. “Look, if you’re going to kill me I can’t stop you. But, before I die, can I just ask a question?”

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. The vixen was rude, flippant, and had an overall terrible attitude. However, she was also upset. Understandably, perhaps, but also a weakness. One that could be exploited. There was an opportunity here. Anger often led to loosened tongues. If Nick’s sister could be goaded properly, she might let a few useful tidbits slip out.

Bonnie put on her best condescending tone and cooed, “Other than that one?”

Skye ground her teeth before biting out, “Yes.”

“Go ahead.”

The vixen whirled on her brother and snarled, “How in all the Hells are you alive?”

Everyone’s eyebrows tried to hit their ears. All Bonnie could think was “jackpot!”.

“You’ve been gone for months. We thought you were dead!” Skye ranted before simmering into a low, threatening tone. “We heard Big let you escape the city, but you didn’t even take a supply of blood. When I finally tracked you to that hollow log you were hiding in, I was expecting to find your remains! Yet, here you are! Washing dishes in a lycanthrope clan’s house! How?!”

Judy interrupted, “Who is ‘we’, exactly?”

“His family,” Skye barked. “Also, shut up. If this is my last living act, I don’t want it interrupted.” Turning back to her brother, she continued to rant. “With your metabolism, I was sure you’d starved or been killed for attacking someone.”

Judy frowned at the interloper. “He’s alive because he hasn’t been starving.”

Skye rolled her eyes obnoxiously. “Obviously not. What I want to know is HOW?”

Judy’s narrowed eyes and the set of her jaw thrilled Bonnie in ways she had never hoped to see. This little jackpot was turning into flood of good signs!

It was even more gratifying to see the look on the newcomer’s face when her daughter crossed her arms and sneered, “You’re welcome.”

“Excuse me?”

Judy smiled flatly. “I’ve been feeding him nightly since I met him.”

The look on the white-furred vampire’s face was a picture of horrified fury. For a breath, Bonnie was sure Judy was going to be attacked. Instead, she watched as the vixen turned on her brother and visibly trembled from self-restraint as she berated him.

“You know why we don’t feed from mortals. Are you really that impossibly stupid?!” Her voice climbed with every syllable until she was all but shrieking. “Do you want to end up a junkie?!”

Now Bonnie was focused. “What do you mean by that?”

The white fox was so angry nothing could have stopped her tirade. “We never feed from mortals! It’s too dangerous. The worst case is enthrallment for them and addiction for us.”

Now Judy was all ears, “What do you mean ‘addiction’?”

“Didn’t he tell you? Feeding from a living being is extremely intimate for vampires. He isn’t done with his transition fully, so it won’t be as bad for him, but I know he feels the lust from it.”

“Skye!” Nick’s tenor cut through the air.

“Don’t you ‘Skye’ me! That’s the one part of you that’s the last to change, so you’ll have a mortal sex drive for about another century.” She gripped the table, levering herself out of her chair. “I’ll bet you forgot your manners on the first bite, didn’t you? Didn’t you?!”

“He didn’t, actually,” Bonnie commented smugly.

“What?”

“He’s been living with us for a couple months and he’s always had excellent table manners.” After a moment, she added, “Such as they are.”

Skye goggled. “Are you serious?”

“Judy?” Bonnie waved at her daughter.

“I was feeding him when he was in hiding.” Judy shrugged, a bit lost. “He’s never fed any differently.”

“Nick? How?!”

At that moment Stu decided to interject. “Hang on just a minute there, missy. You haven’t finished explaining the whole ‘junkie’ thing. Would you mind?”

Skye rallied. “Feeding is—“

“I’ll field this one,” Nick interjected. “If I’m going to be humiliated, I’ll do it myself.”

“Be quiet, Nick,” Skye snapped back, finding her equilibrium. “Feeding and desire are linked for vampires. Whenever we feed from a living source, there’s a risk that we could become emotionally dependent, possibly fall in love with the mortal feeding us—or worse, become physically addicted. It’s a side-effect of the exchange.”

“Exchange?” Judy was looking at the vixen as though she were a particularly stupid kit. “All I’ve gotten from him are stories about the city. I’ve gotten nothing else from him.”

“Good grief…. Look, it’s too complicated to explain, but it’s why we use blood packs. It’s also why the table manners you mentioned are so important. They’re sort of like a meditation that keeps us from getting attached, but it’s…hard.”

“Hard as in...” Bonnie waved her paw, beckoning the vampire to continue. She was disappointed the vixen had stalled out on her rant about exchanging during feeding, but there was still a chance to get more out of her, if she could keep the momentum going.

“As in I’ve never heard of a vamp who didn’t create an emotional mess for themselves by feeding on a mortal for a week. And you’re telling me my little brother has been doing it for months and isn’t completely addicted?”

“Is there a way to check?” Stu inquired.

“Oh, you’d know.” Skye commented acerbically. “If he isn’t following you around constantly, being irritatingly cuddly, and losing himself in feeding, he’s fine. He isn’t doing any of those things, is he?

“No...?” Judy replied, before muttering, “Not yet anyway.”

“Judy!” This time, the todd’s outburst was directed as the younger doe at the table, who shrugged.

“Well, it’s true.”

Skye’s expression turned considering. “It may be because he’s still changing. I’ll have to ask Dad.”

Bonnie set her cup down firmly, stating, “That will have to wait. You haven’t assured your own survival yet, let alone your freedom.”

“Oh...I’m...”

Nick sighed. “I’ll vouch for her.”

Judy leaned in to him. “You know what that means, right?”

“My life is on the line for her good behavior.”

The vixen’s stricken expression told Bonnie that she was cornered and she knew it. There would be no poor behavior from her, at least not for a while. “You stay here and behave yourself until we’re satisfied. Until then, you mess up and you both die. Clear?”

“Very!” Skye quickly replied. “Uh...there is a problem though. I’ll need to eat once a week, at least. Can I arrange for some packs to be sent from the city? I’ll get enough for Nick too.”

Stu chuckled. “That sounds—“

“No.”

All eyes were on her as Stu asked, “Bon?”

“You will have no blood bags. You will have to make do with us.” Bonnie smiled triumphantly. “It might help you curb that attitude of yours if you need to charm a meal out of someone. You might even learn some manners.”

“That’s insane! The risk—!”

“Is your problem,” Bonnie retorted. “If you harm any of this clan, your life is forfeit, as well as Nick’s for vouching for you. So I think it would do you some good to take a lesson from your little brother and learn some discipline. He’s been able to feed off mortals for some time. I suggest you learn from his good example.”

Bonnie took great pleasure in the flabbergasted expressions on everyone’s faces before clapping her paws. “Alright! It’s getting close to dawn. Nick, escort your sister to your room. We’ll arrange quarters for her in the evening. Judy?”

“Yes?”

“I want a word with you.”

~

Nick was less than happy with his circumstances as he plodded down the hall to the guest wing of the farm house. The night hadn’t gone poorly—not nearly as poorly as it could have, anyway—but all was not well. His sister was fuming and still reeling from the events of the night. Dealing with her was going to be a chore. However, dealing with the honey-brown and grey doe who trotted up to them as they left their teatime with mom would make it seem a pleasure.

Tabitha Hopps was a gossip and a tease. Nick hadn’t mentioned her to Judy earlier because the annoying female flirted with anything that had a pulse. He was nothing special in that regard. That said, she was also very pushy when it came to juicy details and loved to be the first one to get them.

“So she’s your big sis, huh?”

“That she is, Tabby,” Nick replied neutrally.

Tabitha giggled. “She looks so young.”

“I can hear you,” Skye groused behind them. “Also, I’m only thirty-five.”

“In centuries?”

“Years! I was born to my parents three years before Nick was born.”

The doe cocked her head in confusion. “How?”

“Well, you see...” Nick groaned into his paws as his sister’s voice went sickly sweet. “When a mommy and daddy vampire love each other very much...”

The rabbit balked. “Gah! No! Eww!”

Skye scoffed and chortled, “I was born the same way anyone is. What did you expect? Demonic rituals?”

“Maybe?”

“Wow, Nick,” Skye deadpanned. “Way to educate your hosts.”

“Oddly, vampire reproduction never came up in dinner conversation.” He commented dryly as he opened the door to his room. “Thanks for making this one super awkward, by the way.”

Nick ushered his sister into the room with the statement “You’ve got the bed,” and turned to Tabitha. “Well it’s been fun, Tabs. But goodnight!”

“I like how that sounds from you. Next time can I hear it and stay?” the doe cheeked.

“Har, har. Very funny.”

“It’s only funny if I’m not serious.”

“You’re never serious.”

“Let’s test that theory.” Nick found himself yanked down until he was nose-to-nose with the rabbit. His eyes bugged as he smelled the intense scent change. She was serious. “Another night, when you don’t have a roomie.”

And she was gone.

His sister’s incredulous voice pulled him out of his shock. “Did that seriously just happen?”

Nick groaned. “Ugh…. Yes….”

“It happens often?”

“Increasingly, around here,” he bemoaned as he pulled spare blankets and a pillow from the small closet.

Skye shook her head and sat on the bed. “I’m sorry. I just don’t see it.”

“I’d hope not. I’m your brother.”

“I didn’t mean like that!” Skye sputtered.

“Good.” Nick shuddered. “I’ve had enough awkward for one century tonight. I’d like to leave it at that.”

“I’m just saying, you don’t have the dark glamour dad has, so I don’t get why they’re interested.”

Nick shrugged and started assembling a pallet on the floor. “Something about sibling rivalry or rank or something were-bun-ish.”

“Who ever would have thought…” his sister snickered. “Little Nicky’s a Casanova.”

Nick miserably laid down on his makeshift bed. “Goodnight.”

Her snicker became a giggle. “Am I getting in your way tonight? Did you have a rendezvous planned?”

“Skye?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Judy’s head popped into the room. “I’m about to have a chat with Beast.”

Nick was startled by the intrusion as well as the lack of a knock before it’d happened. Judy was usually very particular about that. “Okay…?”

“If you decide to eavesdrop, I’ll rip you to shreds.”

Nick blinked uncertainly. “Understood.”

“That goes for both of you.”

The door slammed on the heels of the rabbit’s statement, leaving the two foxes in a stunned silence. Nick saw his sister open her mouth, so he held up his paw to stop her and shook his head. He buried himself under his blanket and prayed sleep would take him quickly.

~

Judy wanted to crawl into a hole and pull it in after her. The word her mother wanted with her had turned out to be four words.

The moment they’d be sure that they were alone, her mother had turned to her and growled, “Talk. To. Your. Beast.”

“Mom?”

“This will not do, Judith. Your behavior is all over the place. You need to talk to your Beast and get the two of you on the same page, right now.”

“We are on the same page. Beast and I have the best rapport in the family. You’ve said as much! It’s why we’re so strong!”

Her mother hadn’t missed a beat. “Why did you snarl at the mention of Nick having a girlfriend?”

Judy had gasped like a fish before managing, “I…don’t know.”

“Why did you spare him?”

“Beast hasn’t told me.”

“Uh-huh…. Why does your scent change when he bites you?”

“That one is unfair.”

“You know you like it and you hate to admit it. But that isn’t the point. Beast isn’t telling you everything, and you aren’t asking because you aren’t willing to admit the truth. That ends tonight.”

Through the whole exchange, the Hopps matriarch hadn’t moved. Her expression had been flat and her tone had been deadly even. There was absolutely no give. Judy had known she was trapped.

“I can’t force her to tell me anything. It doesn’t work that way.”

“You have the best rapport in the family because you know what to and as well as how to ask. You need this sorted out. Because your control is being tested, and if you don’t get a handle on the situation you could go into a frenzy.” Judy had leaned back as he mother’s eyes bore through her like a diamond drill. “I am not having the strongest Lycanthrope in the clan losing control because she isn’t willing to admit what she’s feeling.”

“But—“

“Now!”

With that, Judy had fled the room to do exactly as she’d been told for fear of what else her mother might do if she didn’t. One brief visit to the fox’s room later and Judy was out the door, making fast tracks for the woods.

The emotional load of the night was catching up with her. She was upset, scared, resigned, and dreading what she was about to do. The Beasts that gave lycanthropes their extraordinary power were effectively feral beings. They didn’t value things the same way as their hosts and their perspectives on the world were much simpler in some ways. Their instincts were strong and their power undeniable. However, they had a severe lack of tact sometimes. Judy was used to the rather blunt way her Beast was prone to put things when they talked. It was almost childlike in character and, as the saying went “kits have no filter”. This was going to be a very uncomfortably honest conversation.

Not thinking, Judy simply ran through the woods. She let her feet guide her and was completely unsurprised when she found herself in the hollow where she’d originally found Nick. She sat on the log where she’d sat for their first conversation and settled in. Squaring herself, she closed her eyes and turned her attention to her inner world, where Beast was waiting for her.

We need to talk.

About time.

Sarcasm isn’t appreciated.

Beast cocked her head in confusion.

No. We talk about time.

Time? What does that have to do with anything?

The look beast gave her was almost pitying, but gave way quickly to a vision. Judy was frightened. This had never happened before.

Be calm. Look.

A brief montage flew by her eyes. Each image was a painful memory for her. Judy watched her friends leave her behind because she was suddenly different after her ascension. Bucks she had been interested in snubbed her and siblings avoided her. Lots of long nights out in the woods, patrolling. Too many of them were alone. Many of them involved tears at first.

Why am I seeing this?

You were alone. Now, you are not.

You think Nick is company for me?

He is friend. Like you.

How is he like me? We’re nothing alike at all!

He smells like only himself. No others. Just him. Like you.

Is that why you didn’t let us kill him? He smelled…lonely?

He smelled like us.

So you think we’re friends because we’re both desperate?

In response to her question, another montage began. It started with patrols alongside the fox. Long conversations became lively ones and then happy ones. Traded stories in the woods became chats on the porch or over meals. Then, images of more comfortable times drifted past. Movies watched together, small outings to town or working on the farm, more patrols, and, finally, a long list of the times they’d been close, almost intimate. Judy saw herself getting comfortable around the fox. He made her laugh. She enjoyed spending time with him. She liked his company and she missed it when it wasn’t there.

You see, now.

He’s a good friend.

Judy felt Beast’s frustration for a moment before another memory bubbled to the fore. It was a night where she’d fed him instead of Beast—the same night she’d brought him home the first time. She expected to see her reaction to his first bite. That was the one she’d had the big reaction to, but Beast had other plans.

It was the fourth or fifth sip Nick had needed that night which came to mind. With the memory came the sensations of that moment. The familiar sting of his fangs, the pain as he bit, but that wasn’t what startled her. What startled Judy was the enormous feeling of anticipation accompanying the bite followed by the euphoria of his lips touching her fur. Almost as if she’d been…

Kissed.

You see, now. Good.

Judy’s eyes snapped open and she found herself wishing Nick had listened in. Now, she had to talk to him about this and she knew Beast wouldn’t let her avoid it.

“Biscuits...”


End file.
